Memorial Park – New Police Procedural That Is Insanely Addictive

Blurb Of Memorial Park

3-year-old Rosie Logan is missing from Memorial Park, due to a momentary lapse of attention by her mother Maria. Now it falls to PC Lucy Halliday and her K-9s, Moss and Iggy, to find the girl, under the direction of Lucy’s boss and friend, DCI Jack Ellis.

The case brings up old trauma for Jack. His childhood best friend, Theo, went missing when he was eleven and was never found. But the investigation isn’t smooth. The Logan family have been keeping secrets. And Lucy and Jack hit a firewall every time they make progress.

Can they find Rosie? Or is it too late for all of them?

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My Review

Oh my! I was reading a police procedural after almost three years. And Memorial Park was almost perfect for me with its complex murder mystery, a highly heart-wrenching emotional vein, and the friendship between PC Lucy and DCI Jack. There was a romantic thread weaved in, but it was more satisfying to see how the two main characters worked well with each other. And don’t you forget, there were K-9s that helped in finding the missing children.

But this was no sunny walk in the park. There were themes of child abuse and torture woven into the missing person main plot. I had to commend the author Louisa Scarr for writing them carefully, taking me to the edge of understanding without allowing me to fall free into the darkest swirls of my nightmare.

5 stars

Cover, Plot, Writing

Though I was not fond of the cover–ah well, it didn’t attract me at first glance-the blurb was the one that caught my eye. Two reasons: missing child and K-9. The subplots of family secrets too made the story summary enticing. Initially, I didn’t give much importance to Jack’s past of his missing friend, but only when I reached the first quarter, I realized how important this subplot was and how it influenced the main characters.

I would say it was clever writing where the author knew how to captivate the readers and bring back the distracted back to her story. The power of the words and careful crafting of the subplots while giving me a twist every few pages made this book quite addictive. Reading the bio at the end of the book (yes, I read all of them) helped me realize how the author had honed her talent with copywriting.

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Strengths

The intricate interweaving of the subplots while keeping the emotional thread on track without going overboard helped me stay hooked on the book. There was always an intense craving for – Just one more chapter. I really need to know where this storyline is going – bubbling deep inside of me. To the point that I have downloaded all her books, and I am bingeing through them at the rate of 1 book in 2 days or less. I love the way the author writes her police procedurals.

The author kept the main plot line of the missing child slick, keeping the focus tightly on the Logans, with careful veering into the past. The past and present were carefully layered with secrets and reveals every few chapters, which kept the pace steady and fast. It was this fact that made me the book’s willing hostage.

With good character development and emerging friendships, I liked how they had begun to work like a cohesive team without letting go when something knocked them down. And believe me, there were many things that brought them to their knees. The K-9s, Moss and Iggy, were the best, and they brought levity at the right intervals even when the book dealt with dark themes.

Weaknesses

Some readers might think the themes were too dark and might trigger them. But though the atmosphere created was dark, it was not overtly graphic to trigger nightmares. Nevertheless, do heed the trigger warnings before you start reading the book.

This was book 2 of the series, and I had not read book 1 at this time. The author gave me a good background of what was happening in the lives of the main characters, though it would be better if you read the books in order to not know the spoilers. I would have preferred if the spoilers of book 1 had not been written in. But knowing the truths too didn’t deter me from enjoying the first book that I read later.

Do I Recommend It?

Yes. A highly resounding yes. Author Louisa Scarr’s books are one of the best police procedurals. Having read nearly all of them – only 2 books pending – I would say Lucy and Jack are my favorite main-character couple. The leads in the other series – West and Butler – have a lot of push and pull between them in the romantic sense that I felt like knocking their heads together and asking them to do the deed and get it over with. Till book 3, the timing between them didn’t feel right, though they came close to revealing their feelings many times. SIGGGHHHH…

Level Up Your Manuscript With Professional Beta Reading

Speaking of gripping crime thrillers, here’s how I help authors achieve through my beta reading services. I know what makes a thriller work – those perfectly-timed plot twists, the mounting tension, and characters that leap off the page. Having analyzed countless thrillers like this one, I offer both beta reading and developmental feedback that helps authors polish their manuscripts into stories that readers can’t put down.

If you’re working on a thriller and want to create that same edge-of-your-seat experience I just described in this review, let’s connect for a beta reading session.

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